One more for catchup. Seeing how I was with Marc on his birthday, I think I can be forgiven a brief delay.

10. Surprise parties are really only a working theory.
9. Soccer is the only sport in which you can cheer for a non-Pittsburgh team.
8. Fly fishing is not just for old men or the 19th century.
7. That masonry training is going to pay off one of these days.
6. Potatoes count as a vegetable.
5. He is always older than me.
4. German is really a very useful language.
3. He introduces us as his family. Because we are.
2. You just have to laugh when he does.
1. He appreciates other people always.

So September was a long and crazy month. I forgot birthdays! So Nitolas and his mom, my cousin/sister, Tee Tee.

Nicholas
10. Permission is a relative term even at two.
9. Do all the homework! Now!
8. We should be Project Runway judges together. You know, outside the living room.
7. You can, in fact, be too thin.
6. All fish should aspire to be yummy sushi.
5. He will be the first to buy a real lightsaber.
4. He’s made being the middle child into an art form.
3. The same goes for overachieving.
2. If you are in the hospital, pray he is your nurse. You will be well taken care of.
1. There is nothing like the family bond being reinforced with friendship.

Tina
10. If you can still lift your hand from the table, then you aren’t wearing enough rings.
9. She’s a family member I trust to do my hair.
8. Daytime television is more fun in her company especially if it involves ugly wedding dresses.
7. She will always come to the rescue whether it involves eyebrows or car engines.
6. We share an anniversary and are not above celebrating in Atlantic City.
5. I really think they invented the Keurig for her.
4. She can make a two room cabin sleep 15 comfortably.
3. She celebrates everything her sons do even if it scares the bejeebus out of her.
2. My kids squeal with delight whenever I say we are going to see Tee Tee Tina.
1. In this case, c-o-u-s-i-n spells sister.

Knowing an old friend’s time is coming to an end is not an easy thing to accept.

This, my friends, is The Awesome Leather Bag.

Since I found it in a Wilson Leather outlet, and my mother sneakily bought it for me for Christmas circa 1997 or ’98, it has served not only as a simple purse, but a college backpack, an overnight bag, a laptop bag, and even a diaper bag. I’m pretty sure it has an undetectable extension charm placed on it.

I have had other purses. I went through a fairly significant Vera Bradley phase, but I always came back to TALB.

As you can see from the photos, it does not have an impervious charm on it. The lining has been shredding for years. One of the zippers has a hole that makes it stick. The clasp does not stay shut anymore. I once caught the strap in a locker, and it ripped slightly. It has held up, but it won’t forever.

The TALB won’t last forever.

I am pretty sure I can count its life in months, not years. I don’t want to bury my head in the sand and ignore the signs. I want to be proactive.

I need to start thinking about a replacement.

This will not be an easy task. I’m pretty sure Hermione Granger has not opened an etsy shop. So I have been looking.

It needs to be bigger than a clutch but smaller than a messenager bag. (TALB is 9x9x3.)

I would prefer a neutral color, but that is not a deal breaker.

There needs to be organization, pockets, and dividers including an easy access one for my phone.

I want to pay around $50. I would go up to $100, but then it needs to be a birthday present request.

So that leads me this: I am asking you, my dear readers (I hope there are more than John and Dann. At least one female would be nice.), for any suggestions. Do you have a go-to bag that you love as much as I love TALB? Have you seen one online that might fit my needs?